LilSugar

Delilicious: Monster Candy Eyeballs

LilSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:22 -0700

I know it is only a short while before my lil ones come home with bags of treats, so I wanted to try to make my own candy! Epicurious had a great recipe for a frightful version of buckeye candy; traditionally it is a peanut butter ball that is then coated in a thin layer of chocolate. With a little creative dunking and a bag of M&M's, these candies are transformed into a spooky, yet, scrumptious monster eyeball.

Kids can definitely help with the whole process because the recipe only requires a microwave. You might even be grateful as mixing the peanut butter and powdered sugar is best done by hand and can be a pretty messy job! The finished candies would be cute packaged in small gifts bags as a ghoulish treat for your kids' friends! Children of all ages (including adults) are bound to love this classic combination, so if you want to get started on your own eye-poppingly delicious candy for Halloween keep reading for my tips and recipe.

Delilicious: Passover-Friendly Choco-Toffee Matzoh

LilSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:00:36 -0700

Though some parents do not require their kids to keep Passover's dietary laws, the holiday's central food item - matzoh - is something that can be enjoyed by any tot comfortable eating solid foods. As a replacement for bread, or chametz, matzoh is transformed into many forms throughout the holiday - from matzoh balls (dumplings in soup), and farfel (stuffing) to matzoh brei (omelette) and desserts. In an effort to transform a sheet of matzoh into a sweet Passover snack, a friend and her baker-in-training got to work on some choco-toffee matzoh that allowed him to use his preschool creativity when adding toppings to the scrumptious treat.
To see how to make this kid-friendly recipe, read more.

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Adapted from Marcy Goldman's BetterBaking.com
Ingredients:
4 to 5 pieces of matzoh
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Toppings, as desired (we used marshmallows, sprinkles and dried apricots)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
Place the matzoh in one layer on the baking sheet
In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture reaches a boil, continue to cook for three minutes, still stirring, until thickened and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from heat and pour over the matzoh, spreading an even layer with a heat-proof spatula.
Put the pan in the oven, then immediately turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn't burn.
After 15 minutes, the toffee should have bubbled up and turned a rich golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate over the pan.
Let sit for five minutes, then spread the now-melted chocolate evenly with a spatula.
Add your favorite toppings while the chocolate is still melted.
Let cool completely, then break into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container.

Does Chocolate Ward Off Pregnancy Complications?

LilSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:00:49 -0700

Give in to that chocolate craving, the dark decadent sweet may be more than just a treat!

New research suggests that it may ward off preeclampsia, a pregnancy condition that is characterized by a sudden rise in blood pressure, excessive weight gain, protein in urine and other symptoms.

According to a Reuters article about the findings:

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is rich in a chemical called theobromine, which stimulates the heart, relaxes smooth muscle and dilates blood vessels, and has been used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries, Dr. Elizabeth W. Triche of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and colleagues write.

To learn about the specifics, read more.

Of the 2,291 moms who delivered babies, those who ate the most chocolate were the least likely to develop preeclampsia. It also said:

Women who ate five or more servings of chocolate each week in their third trimester of pregnancy were 40 percent less likely to develop preeclampsia than those who ate chocolate less than once a week.

Source

Suck It Up! Get Instant Chocolate Milk From a Straw

YumSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:28:50 -0700

A few months ago, I told you guys about straws that help flavor milk. We finally got our hands on some and wanted to let you know what we thought. The straws come in packs of six and are available in three flavors: banana, strawberry and chocolate. However, because today is National Chocolate Milk Day, we're going to focus on the chocolate.

I started off by taking a pint of milk and dividing into three cups. Then I put one straw into each cup. The straws are rather unique, they're a bit larger than normal straws and have three small openings on each end. The openings are big enough to allow milk to pass through, but small enough that the chocolate "beads" don't escape.

To be honest, I was expecting it to taste overly sweet and weird, but it was surprisingly good and rather interesting. There was no clumping powder or syrupy mess, instead all the chocolate remained in the straw. In fact, you might even say it was like a chocolate filter. As the milk passed through, it slowly dissolved the beads and created a flavor infusion. After several minutes of the straw in my glass, my milk had a very light brown hue, and eventually the beads dissolved completely.

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If you've got kids, or are one at heart, this will make a great afternoon surprise. The product, which is produced by Felfodi, was just announced at the Candy Expo and will hit the shelves soon.

Bringing Sexy Back: Afrodisiac Chocolates

babysugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 07:00:48 -0800

For many people, a big New Year's resolution is giving up sweets - chocolate in particular. You might consider bending the rules in the name of romance by trying an Afrodisiac chocolate bar, which could send you and your partner into a pleasurable oblivion.

The sensual chocolates come in four flavors: Passion Fruit Mango Black Sesame, French Rose Persimmon, Kiwi Lime Pistachio Sea Salt, and Lemon Ginger Cayenne. All made with 72 percent dark chocolate, each one is supposed to evoke a different sort of desire.

So after dinner, instead of dessert slip your big love a bit of chocolate and see what unravels.

ECOWEEN: Endangered Species Chocolates

LilSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0700

Make Ecoween extra decadent with some delicious fair trade treats. Endangered Species Chocolate offers kid-friendly ethically traded candy. Their organic chocolate bars ($2) feature pictures of endangered animals on their recycled wrappers and list conservation tips. For Halloween, the company that donates 10 percent of their net profits to support species, habitat and humanity has festive fun packs ($7) that contain 24 individually wrapped candies. And, there's a discount when you buy three bags.

To read all of our ECOWEEN coverage, click here.

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800

Sugarbabies Through the Seasons

babysugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:52 -0800

You might have noticed the grocery shelves are full of chocolate turkeys and red, white and green candies already. In line with their sweet treat selection, we here on LilSugar are ready to showcase your yummy holiday babes! Take old pictures of your precious lil Thanksgiving turkeys or the wee ones dressed up in their Christmas best and load them up to the Sugarbabies group! As we approach the holidays, we'll be featuring Pilgrim tots, mini Santas, and adorable Hanukkah Harrys. So when you light those menorahs, hang ornaments from the trees and stuff the bird, take a picture and submit it. Your wee one could be featured as one of our holiday Sugarbabies!

It's simple to sign up. To see how, just read more.

Create a PopSugar Account or login to your account.
Join the Sugarbabies group
Click "New Post" under the Sugarbabies tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Insert a photo of your babe.
Fill in the "Body" if you want to give us a snippet of the shot.
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Sugarbabies").
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

Flickr user renoir

Did You Change Your Diet Before Conception?

LilSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

When couples plan conception they generally prepare by tracking ovulation and take all the helpful hints they can get.

I recently stumbled on Cooking to Conceive: Fertility-Boosting Foods & Recipes to Help You Get Pregnant ($17) at the bookstore and was intrigued by the concept. It focuses on healthy dishes filled with veggies that add extra calcium, folate, and antioxidants to your diet (no champagne and oysters, but chocolate makes the cut!). It's all logical stuff, but I was impressed by the lineup. Did you change your diet when trying to get pregnant, or did you eat the same until you were eating for two?

Keep Those Wee Teeth Healthy This Halloween

babysugar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:00:03 -0700

Sure kids adore the costume aspect of Halloween but the number one reason why wee ones look forward to the ghoulish holiday? The hunt for candy. Chocolate bars, candy corn, and bags of Skittles can make a youngster hopelessly in love with sugar but leave their pearly whites in pain. Thanks to Dr. Sherri Worth, a dentist to the stars and mother of three, we have some helpful tips to offer parents on how to protect those tiny chompers and combat cavities.

Rinse and Repeat: So simple…RINSE right after the candy fest. Toss the kids some water bottles and have them drink up while watching that scary movie before bed. Getting the initial sugar rinsed out before the candy has time to settle on to the surface of the tooth is key.
Do It For Them: I always brush and floss my kids’ teeth the night before Halloween. I tell them that there are so many “sugar bugs” on Halloween that I need to get them out.

To see the rest of her pointers, just read more.

Tool Time: Buy them a new toothbrush and let them use it the first time on Halloween night. They will spend more time on their teeth because it is new and special.
Keep It in the Kitchen: No candy after the teeth are brushed at night – we all know they love to keep their candy with them (taking it to bed) – keep it in the kitchen.
Fill ‘Em Up!: Have a good healthy dinner before trick-or-treating, so that they will not have a dinner of candy.

Do you have any tips to share for keeping young teeth healthy? Share them in The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar Community! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.